Konya Metropolitan Municipality is supporting the cultivation of drought-resistant medicinal and aromatic plants to bring unused and uncultivated lands across the city into production.

Konya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Uğur İbrahim Altay stated that Konya, known as Turkey’s grain warehouse, has become one of the leading cities in alternative agricultural models in recent years thanks to the practices they have implemented in this field.

WITH AN 85 PERCENT GRANT, 861,600 THYME SEEDLINGS WERE DISTRIBUTED

Mayor Altay, stating that Konya Metropolitan Municipality continues to support Konya farmers in the fight against drought, said, “We need to go beyond traditional methods to combat climate change and drought. Therefore, we prioritize dry farming practices, offer new opportunities to our farmers by producing with drought-resistant plants, and create new sources of income. We distributed 861,600 thyme seedlings to our farmers with an 85 percent grant for use on idle and barren lands, enabling the cultivation of 123 decares of land. Within this scope, the harvest of previously planted thyme was carried out in our Güneysınır district. Additionally, we contribute to the economy by producing thyme oil at the distillation facilities we established in the region. I wish it to be fruitful for our farmers,” he said.

The thyme-producing farmers from Güneysınır, who benefited from the support program, also expressed their gratitude to Konya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Uğur İbrahim Altay for always standing by the producers.

THYME

Thyme, one of the medicinal and aromatic plants, has many uses, primarily in the spice, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and chemical industries. Turkey, which is the genetic center and homeland of many thyme species, markets different types collected from nature in certain regions. Under field conditions, the cultivation generally involves İzmir Thyme (Origanum onites L.) and Istanbul Thyme (Origanum vulgare L.) species. Thyme has an economic lifespan of 7 years, but with good care, it can produce yields for up to 10 years.